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My Favorite 2018 Releases

By Brookelorren on January 3, 2019January 3, 201920 Comments

We’re only a few days into the New Year, and I figured I’d do something new this year. Although I’ve done a “Best Books I Read for the First Time in 20XX” list for years, I’ve never did a Best 20XX Release list. I read so many books this year that I thought I’d do one of these lists too. Some of the books on this list will be the same as my Best Books I Read for the First Time in 2018 list, but not all of the books weren’t eligible, and other books that were part of series didn’t make it on their own.

10. War Storm – Victoria Aveyard – I wanted this series to make the list of Top Books I Read for the First Time in 2018, but there were just so many good books that I couldn’t squeeze it in. Fortunately, War Storm was able to make the list of best 2018 releases I read.

9. Ace of Shades – Amanda Foody. This was a fun book with an interesting magic system. I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out this year.

8. The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang. Most of the books that made it to my year-end list were fantasy books. I read this cute book shortly after reading a ton of other darker books. This is the perfect book if you want to read something light

7. Legendary – Stephanie Garber. This was a great story and I can’t wait to read Finale when it comes out. Tella and Scarlett make this story wonderful, although this story focuses on Tella.

6. The Fates Divide – Veronica Roth. I hope to give all of the books on this end-of-year list a reread at some point. I loved The Fates Divide and will definitely want to reread it, especially since Veronica Roth won’t be releasing a new book this year.

5. Muse of Nightmares – Laini Taylor. This was a beautiful book that left me in tears at the end. It’s also a gorgeous book with a wonderful ending.

4. A Reaper at the Gates – Sabaa Tahir. I loved Reaper as much as I loved Ember, which is why it placed so highly by itself. I will definitely be pre-ordering the final book in this series, and will be rereading everything before it comes out.

3. Queen of Air and Darkness – Cassandra Clare. I loved this book, but without the rest of the books in this series, I think I’m going to place The Cruel Prince one slot higher. Maybe if it would have been slightly shorter? Still, placing #3 on both lists is pretty good.

2. The Cruel Prince – Holly Black. This was a great book, and I can’t wait to read The Wicked King next week. I have to know what happens!

1. Wildcard – Marie Lu. I had the hardest time deciding which I liked better last year: Wildcard or Enchantée? Since Enchantée is a 2019 release, is wasn’t eligible for the 2018 release list (but will be eligible for next year’s 2019 top books). Will I have a difficult time deciding between Enchantée and the fourth Legend book? We’ll have to find out next year. I have a feeling that they will both end up as favorites.

So there’s the list of my favorite 2018 releases. There are so many good books coming out in 2019. I can’t wait to read them.

The Gilded Wolves

By Brookelorren on January 2, 2019January 1, 20196 Comments

I recently finished reading The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. There were things about this book that I absolutely loved, and I do plan on reading the second book, but overall, it was not my favorite book. I was fortunate that I was able to get an advanced review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Gilded Wolves is set in Paris in 1889. Séverin is trying to reclaim his lost inheritance. He has a set of friends that are helping him get it, but as they steal (or “acquire”) the objects necessary to prove who he is, they end up running into trouble and get in way over their heads. They also run into enemies that are trying to destroy the order of things (and not in a good way).

First, what I loved about this book:

I love the setting. It is set in Paris in the late 1800s, about 100 years after the French revolution. Ms. Chokshi makes you feel like you’re there. I love history, so I love the details included here.
I love the characters. This book features several characters that have gotten together, and they all have their different quirks and motivation. Zofia is mathematically inclined and would probably be seen as having Asperger’s in a contemporary book, Séverin and Laila pine for each other but mutually agree to stay away from each other, Tristan is Séverin’s loyal friend… these guys are all great and likable in their own ways, even though they’re thieves.
The magic system is wonderful and well thought out. Behind the history that we know of, there is a group of powerful people that control these magical artifacts that all have different properties. They’re great, and I love how they’re integrated into the world that we do know.

Even though I can say all these wonderful things about this book, and I can say that I enjoyed it, it took me a while to read. I’m not sure why. I think maybe it was a little bit too long and detailed. There may have been a little too many twists and turns for my taste. I will probably read the second book, because I do want to find out what happens to these characters (and there’s a relationship that I’d like to see lead somewhere), but it’s not going to be a book that I pre-order months in advance, like I will with Chain of Gold and Legend 4.

December Monthly Wrap-Up

By Brookelorren on January 1, 2019January 1, 201910 Comments

December 2018 is over, and it’s time to start reading all those wonderful 2019 books! But before I do, here’s a look at what happened in December 2018:

Books I Read:

I read nine books this month, and two of them were pretty short. But one of the books was 880 pages! A couple others were really long too.

Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare
Lord of Shadows – Cassandra Clare
Queen of Air and Darkness – Cassandra Clare
My True Love Gave to Me
Brenna Morgan and the Iron Key – Katie Masters
Furyborn – Claire Legrand
The Girl King – Mimi Yu
The Invisible War: A Tale on Two Scales – Ailsa Wild
Legend (the Graphic Novel) – Marie Lu

Oddly enough, the last book I read in 2017 was Warcross by Marie Lu, and the last book I read in 2018 was Legend (the Graphic Novel) by Marie Lu. I tried to finish The Gilded Wolves before the ball dropped, but it just didn’t happen.

Blog Stats:

I reached 1,837 Twitter followers and went over 100,000 impressions. In March, I had 374 impressions, so I say that my Twitter account has seen a lot of growth.
I was able to spend a little more time visiting other people’s blogs and saw a small amount of blog growth.

Writing:

The Brightness of Shadow is at 59,533 words, so I didn’t get a great deal written there, but I’m down to 6 chapters left. I also finished a fanfic, Brenna Morgan and the Silver Portal (Katie Masters said that she thought it would be awesome if someone wrote a fanfic for her, so I did). I also wrote One Cold Night, a short story that’s based on something I witnessed at work.

Life:

My daughter went back to the hospital, but we’re hopeful that she won’t go back. Most of this month was spent going to work. Then there was Christmas, and that was all about the books, LOL. I’m hopeful for a great 2019.

So that’s about it! I’m looking forward to a great year in books starting this month!

Best Books I Read For the First Time in 2018

By Brookelorren on January 1, 2019January 1, 201942 Comments

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday! This is also my annual “Best Books I Read for the First time in 20XX” post. I’ve done this for several years now, even though only the last two years have made it to my blog. If you’re interested, here are my lists from 2017 and 2016. Oh, and even though I’ve been blogging on other blogs for a lot longer, and I wasn’t active on this blog for a long time, this is the 2nd year anniversary of this blog (technically).

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

I have specific rules that I follow year after year for this annual list of mine:

The book can be released any year, but I had to finish reading it for the first time in the year it makes the list.
Translations of books I already read don’t count (sorry Las Marcas de la Muerte, I read Carve the Mark in 2017).
Series can be combined together to make one entry, as long as they all were great books (The Fifth Wave‘s sequels didn’t make the list, but the entire Divergent and Legend series did make the list in their respective years). This year, I combined series that were set in the same universe and shared characters, but that’s not normal.

So here’s the list for 2018!

10. Flame in the Mist (Duology) – Renee Ahdieh. I absolutely loved Flame in the Mist. I was very happy that the Smoke in the Sun pre-order gift was a paperback copy of the first book, since I checked it out of the library initially. Smoke in the Sun wasn’t quite as good as the first book, but it was good enough to be combined with the first book to make my end-of-the-year list.

9. Throne of Glass (first 4 books of the series) – Sarah J. Maas. I haven’t read Tower of Dawn, Empire of Storms, or Kingdom of Ash yet, so they’re not eligible for the list this year, but they might make it to next year’s list. These books are massive – and epic. I love the worldbuilding, the fey are fun, and the main character (I don’t want to give away too much if you haven’t read it) is badass. It definitely deserves a spot on the year-end list.

8. The Fates Divide – Veronica Roth. I loved the conclusion to this book (unlike to another conclusion to a Veronica Roth series that I chose to drown my sorrows with fanfiction). I’m sad that I have to wait until 2020 for another book from this author.

7. Strange the Dreamer (duology) – Laini Taylor. Part of me has to wonder whether there’ll be so many full series on my list next year. When I read Strange over the summer I just had to pre-order Muse of Nightmares. If you ever want to read what beautiful prose looks like, take a look at this series. It was wonderful.

6. The Ember Quartet (first three books) – A Reaper at the Gates seemed to be all Twitter talked about in the late spring, and I started the series this year with An Ember in the Ashes. I’m looking forward to reading the final book when it comes out. This series kept me occupied all day for three days in a row, until I finished it. I’ll probably give them all a reread before Ember 4 comes out.

5. The Midnight Star – Marie Lu. I absolutely loved Adelina and Magiano, and I started (but haven’t finished) two fanfics involving them last year. Hopefully I’ll publish both in 2019. I bought the book in Spanish, but I haven’t read the translation yet.

4. The Cruel Prince – Holly Black. Whoever created The Incorrect Cruel Prince Twitter account is a marketing genius and deserves to be paid. It probably moved this book up a few notches on my TBR. Nevertheless, if the book itself wasn’t amazing, it wouldn’t have achieved a spot on my end-of-year list. The Wicked King is on my must-read list for January.

3. Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices/The Dark Artifices – Cassandra Clare. I read all three of these series for the first time this year, and rather than have them take up three spots on my end of year list, I just gave them one spot. Although City of Bones didn’t thoroughly impress me, it was good enough for me to continue with the series, and they’re now one of my favorites.

2. Wildcard – Marie Lu. This absolutely was my most anticipated book for 2018. Warcross was my favorite book of 2017, and Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors. I definitely wasn’t surprised to see this book make the number two spot.

1. Enchantée – Gita Trelease. If you had asked me in January what book I thought would make the top spot on the 2018 list, I would have probably guessed the sequel to Warcross. A lot of bookish things happened this year – including my relaunching this blog as a book blog. I didn’t expect to like this book so much, but I think any book where you seriously consider coming in late to work so you can finish it deserves serious consideration for the best book of the year. And so it is.

2018 was an amazing reading year, and it was so hard to limit the books to ten. This year, for the first time ever, I’m also going to put out a list of top 2018 releases. It will have a few repeats from this list, but will have several newcomers as well.

What were your favorite books from 2018?

The Invisible War

By Brookelorren on December 29, 2018December 26, 2018Leave a Comment

The Invisible War: A Tale on Two Scales is a graphic novel that tells two stories at the same time. First, it tells the story of a nurse who is helping the cause during World War I. Second, it tells the story of dangerous dysentery microbes as they try to make their colony thrive. It is a short, interesting story that would be good for both homeschooling families and interested teens/adults. I was fortunate in receiving a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the macro scale, we read the tale of a World War I nurse who contracts dysentery from one of her patients. We see her interacting with patients, talking to her friends, and going about her daily life in the war. By no means will you be an expert on World War I by reading this graphic novel, but you might get a better idea of what these heroes faced. Our heroine was an Australian nurse, so it’s interesting to see the war from a non-US perspective.

On the micro scale, we see the battle that dysentery microbes fight inside the gut of our heroine against her helpful cells that are trying to destroy them. We see them try to find a suitable place to colonize and thrive, and then, as our heroine’s immune system kicks in, we see the bacteriophage in her gut fight back. Again, reading The Invisible War won’t make you an expert on microbiology, but it’s a fun peek inside our immune systems to let us see what we deal with every day.

This graphic novel is cute, fast-paced, and informative. As a homeschooling mom, I plan on making my kids read this book myself. I would recommend this for kids (and even interested adults) in junior high or above.

In addition to the cute comic that this book has, the back of the book has more information about the subjects in the book. It is supposed to be interactive, but I had difficulty getting the interactive parts of this book to work, so I just read the comic and then read the extra information at the end. I was able to learn more about viruses and what it was like to be in World War I by reading this supplemental information.

If viruses and World War I is something you find interesting and you want a more detailed account, I would recommend The Great Influenza by John M. Barry, which details the Spanish flu that killed 50 million people during World War I. If you just want a quick read that presents this subject in a fun way, then I recommend this book.

There is a new version of this book coming out on January 1st that is currently available for pre-order. While the book that I read was the older edition, the newer version is less expensive.

The 2019 New Release Challenge

By Brookelorren on December 28, 2018December 28, 20184 Comments

The New Year is only a few days away, and I’m excited for a new year of reading! And writing, of course. I read so many good books last year. Some of them were backlist titles, but I also read several new releases. So many, in fact, that on January 3rd I’ll be releasing my top 10 2018 releases from last year. I’ve never done a list like that before.

There are plenty of new releases I’m looking forward to already:

The Wicked King (pre-ordered)
Priory of the Orange Tree (pre-ordered)
Ghosts of the Shadow Market (pre-ordered)
Legend 4
Chain of Gold (pre-ordering next week)

I try to review an ARC every week (although I haven’t been as good about that since NaNoWriMo started). So I’m going to join the 2019 New Release Challenge, hosted by Unconventional Bookworms, and my goal is to get level 2: 30-60 new releases:

1-30 books per year – New Release Newbie
31-60 books per year – New Release Pro
61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran
101-200 books per year – New Release Enthusiast
200+ books per year – New Release Obsessed

My Goodreads goal for next year will be to read 105 books, and since there’s still a lot of backlist books I want to read, level 2 sounds about right for me.

If you want to join in the challenge, you can sign up at this link. Figure out how many new release books you want to read in 2019, and then create your own post. Good luck!

The Naughty or Nice Book Tag

By Brookelorren on December 28, 2018December 28, 20182 Comments

I found the Naught or Nice Book tag over at A.J. Sterkel’s blog, although it was created by Jenn @ Jenniely. It looked like fun, so I decided to so it. So, let’s find out if I’ve been a naughty or a nice bookdragon this year!

1. Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy and not reviewed it?

Nice. I haven’t finished reading The Gilded Wolves yet, but it doesn’t come out until January 8th, so give me a break here. I’m in the middle of reading it, and I really like it.

I also haven’t read The Darkest Star, which is an ARC, but I got it from a friend on Twitter, not from a publisher, so I don’t have an obligation to read it and review it if I don’t want to. I will read and review it, but I want to read several of the books that come before it first. So I’m going to say I’m nice on this one.

2. Have less than 60% feedback rating on NetGalley?

Nice. I have a 95% rating on Netgalley. You could say that I’m an ARC-Angel. ;-). Once there was a computer glitch and I actually had a feedback ratio of 112%. I hope you’re paying attention to how well I review my ARCs, publishers, especially when it comes time to beg for an Advanced Review Copy of the 4th Legend book next year. I’d make it worth your money.

3. Promised a full review was coming and never wrote the review?

Nice. Although, at the moment I have seven planned reviews to write. I never promised these reviews to anybody though. I just try to review every book I read, and there are seven I haven’t reviewed. I even kept my promise to write a fanfic of my friend’s book.

4. Folded down the page of a book?

Nice. Why would you do this? I like my books to be pretty.

5. Accidentally spilled on a book?

Naughty. I really try not to damage my books, honest! But I also sometimes eat while reading. I usually don’t damage my books too badly, but I’m not perfect.

6. Didn’t finish a book?

Nice. I haven’t finished the unabridged copy of Gibbon’s History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire yet, and I haven’t finished the Works of Josephus either, but I do intend on finishing them. I know some people will stop reading, but the only books I ever am tempted to DNF are review copies of some of the books I get from Netgalley, and I take my promise to review books quite seriously, so I finish those.

7. Bought a book because it was pretty with no intention of reading it?

Naughty? I’m not sure if this counts or not, but sometimes I get a little carried away with getting free books on Amazon.com. I typically don’t buy a book because it’s pretty, but I sometimes will get a book because it’s free.

8. Read while you were meant to be doing something else?

Naughty, I guess. Sometimes I read when I should be sleeping. It’d be really hard to read while I’m at work (except on my lunch break), although I do write in my head when I’m at work all the time.

9. Skim read a book?

Nice. I have Googled certain questions to find out what happens… are Jace and Clary actually siblings? But I read my books. Sometimes I read really fast on purpose though.

10. Missed your Goodreads goal?

Nice. This is the first year I’ve had a Goodreads goal, and I reached it, so yay!

11. Borrowed a book and not returned it?

This year? Nice. But not always. When our house caught on fire several years ago, there were books that never got returned. I’ve forgotten to return books before, long ago. This year my return rate is perfect though. It helps that I go to the library every week. Plus, I usually borrow electronic books, even though I’ll buy hardbacks of my favorite books.

12. Broke a book buying ban?

Naughty? I don’t know if I’ve ever had a book buying ban, but sometimes books will go on sale for $1.99 and I can’t pass them up, even though I probably don’t need to buy it. And Kingdom of Ash just happened to fall into my cart when I was Christmas shopping, even though I had given that idea to my parents.

13. Started a review, left it for ages, and then forgot what the book was about?

Nice. I usually write my reviews in one sitting.

14. Wrote in a book?

Naughty. I underlined in Glenn Beck’s Addicted to Outrage this year. I also write in my Calendar for Writers, but I don’t think that counts, because there’s literally places to take notes in it. Most of the time I don’t write in my books. I usually try to memorize the page numbers of places in the books I absolutely love and want to read again and again.

15. Finished a book and not added it to Goodreads?

Naughty. Only one book this year though. I just didn’t want to admit I read it, LOL. Before this year I never put books into Goodreads. I am very good about it now though. I don’t always write a review.

16. Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book?

Nice? I don’t often get people asking to borrow my books though. I might have difficulty loaning my Marie Lu books… when my kids borrow them I get a little nervous, and they’re not even leaving my house! Fortunately I have second copies of several of the books now. All the rest of my books I’ll lend.

17. Broke the spine of someone else’s book?

Nice. I couldn’t imagine doing that! Not on purpose, anyway. I have a couple of books of my own that are a little worn, but I try to be careful to take care of books.

18. Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up damaging it more?

Nice. I usually leave my dust jackets on unless I’m loaning them out. My dh takes them off anyway, and then I end up losing them. He doesn’t like reading hardbacks any more though. He’s a Kindle boy.

19. Sat on a book?

Nice? This year at least. I’m short, so I’ve sat on books so I can be taller before. Just not this year.

So I got 13 Nices and 6 Naughtys. I guess I’m pretty good, but I’m not perfect.

Were you naughty or nice with your books this year? If you want to do this one, consider yourself tagged.

Frostblood is a Nice Wintry Read

By Brookelorren on December 27, 2018December 18, 2020Leave a Comment

I recently read Frostblood by Elly Blake. I listened to it on audiobook. It is one of those books that starts off a little slow and then grabs me towards the end.

There are three types of people in the word: firebloods, who have naturally elevated temperatures and can create fire, frostbloods, who have naturally cold temperatures and create frost, and those that have no special talent for either frost or fire. Our heroine, Ruby, is a fireblood.

The king is a wicked man who wants to exterminate all of the firebloods. At the beginning of our story, Ruby is caught by the king’s men. In the process, her mother is killed, her village is burned, and she is hauled off to prison.

That would be the end of our story, but Ruby is rescued by a couple of frostbloods who plan on taking down the king. They train her to use her fire powers effectively. Of course, living among frostbloods has its own challenges. Many people don’t trust firebloods.

Throughout Frostblood, we learn the secrets of the evil king and also of fire and frostblood. We also learn more about the people who come to rescue her from the prison. These characters begin to grow on you.

Towards the end of the book, the seeds of a romance blossom, but I won’t tell you who, because it will spoil the surprise. I thought the couple was good together and I can’t wait to read about them more in the next book.

So what did I like about this book? In general, I enjoyed the book. I liked the second half of the book better though. I liked the growing relationship between Ruby and (redacted). I liked how she cared for the people in the monastery she was taken to, and how they also eventually grew to care for her, overlooking the fact that she was a fireblood and they were frostbloods.

To me, the book seemed to start slow. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was the audiobook format itself. The characters had an English accent, and it just seemed strange. Perhaps it was because the mother died so early in the book that I didn’t really get to know her well. At any rate, I initially didn’t know whether I was going to plan on reading the rest of the series or not. The last half of the book hooked me, however, and I plan on reading the next book in the series.

Overall, this book won’t make my top ten books of the year list, but I enjoyed it anyway.

All Hail The Girl King!

By Brookelorren on December 26, 2018December 26, 20182 Comments

January is going to be a great month for new book releases. One of the books that you might be excited to read is The Girl King by Mimi Yu. I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lu is the oldest of two siblings. She was raised from birth to be a warrior. Her younger sister, Min, has always been shy and mousy. When her ailing father decides to name Lu’s cousin, Set, as the next emperor, and decides that Lu and her cousin should be betrothed, the whole kingdom goes into an uproar.

A short distance away, Nok is growing up as an apprentice to a grandfather-like figure. When he runs into Lu and discovers that he has a gift that he didn’t know about before, his world suddenly changes.

I loved this book. For one thing, the setting was great. It was in this Asian setting that was a lot like China, but magical. You could imagine the layout of the capital city, as well as the larger layout of the entire country. There were lakes and magical places that weren’t hard to visualize at all.

Another component I liked about the book was the characters. For a time, I wasn’t sure which characters I was supposed to like. They all had some sort of charm about them, as well as their weaknesses. I could see the character growth in Lu, Nok, and Min, even though some of them didn’t develop in the most wholesome of ways. You’ll have to read the book to find out who you don’t want to root for, because I’m not giving away spoilers.

The writing was great as well. While this wasn’t a book that I absolutely couldn’t put down and kept me awake when I should have been sleeping, the writing sucked me in.

The Girl King is part of a series, and I have already added the second book to my Goodreads to-read shelf. This book won’t be released until January 8th, but you can pre-order it now. I’m glad I was able to read the ARC, because The Wicked King comes out that day too. Which do you read first? Tough choice.

Books I Hope To Find Under My Christmas Tree on Christmas Morning

By Brookelorren on December 25, 2018December 16, 201836 Comments

Merry Christmas! Not only is it Christmas, it’s also Top Ten Tuesday! Can you believe that it’s already the last Top Ten Tuesday post of the year? I’m so glad that I found all you wonderful book bloggers this year, and I can’t wait for another year. But first… here are books that I hope to get for Christmas this year! Oh, and Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! Thank you!

My parents did ask me for a list of books I wanted, so this is a mixture of that and what I would get if they weren’t Amazon-averse (I don’t think they’d know how to do a pre-order). My dh will probably just give me a gift card.

So the Legend graphic novels are on my list of books I’d like to see under the Christmas tree. They look absolutely adorable. And of course, I love the regular books. So all three of these graphic novels are on my Christmas list this year.

Also on my list of books I’d like to get for Christmas this year are the Shadowhunter’s books from The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and The Dark Artifices that I haven’t already purchased. I have four of the books already, but there are twelve books total from this set. These are books that I definitely want to get, and more than likely, I’ll probably order any books that I don’t have to get later on today. I really think that it’s funny how I love this series so much when I think I gave the first book three stars. The worldbuilding is outstanding.

I know The Wicked King will not be under my tree this year (although I put it on my Christmas wish list) because it doesn’t come out until January 8th. I’m sure my parents didn’t pre-order it for me either. That’s okay. If I get any Amazon gift cards, I’ll probably pre-order it later on in the day. This is a book I’m planning on reading next month.

Earlier this year, I had a Sabaa Tahir review marathon, where I read and reviewed the Ember in the Ashes books, starting at book one. I got the first two books from the library, and purchased A Reaper at the Gates. Later, I found Ember on sale for $2.99, so I got that. Still, I don’t have A Torch Against the Night. I’m going to probably want to reread these books before Ember 4 comes out, so I’ll probably want to get it. While I don’t always feel the need to reread books before the next one comes out, there is so much to this book series that I think I need to.

If you’ve read this blog for very long, then you know I love Marie Lu’s books. She has a short story in A Tyranny of Petticoats that I haven’t read yet… so of course I have to add this to the list of books that I have to get. I’ve read a few anthology books this year, and they tend to be pretty interesting. I like getting to read the stories by other authors, some of whom are new to me, as well. So this is on my wish list.

So these Shadowhunters bookmarks aren’t books, but they are on my Christmas wish list this year (and the missing Shadowhunter books on my list comprise of a total of eight books, so that’s already a ton of books already (almost literally a ton since those books are huge)). These are absolutely adorable, and I also like The Infernal Devices and Dark Artifices bookmarks as well.

And these Day and June bookmarks made it to my Christmas wish list as well. They’ll be perfect to read Legend 4 with later on in 2019!

Well hello! You can already pre-order Chain of Gold on Amazon.com. It’s not out until November 2019, but yes, please! Obviously this won’t be under my tree (and I won’t be rushing to buy it later today either), but I already ran out of book ideas, and this is on my TBR, so here you are.

You can stop laughing now. Obviously, I know that this will not be under my tree this year, nor will a note be wrapped in a box saying that I got this as a pre-order, nor can I take any Amazon gift cards that I hope to be getting and buy this book either. We’re in the realm of fantasy now, but at this point, I’m just going through Goodreads to see what looks good.

I didn’t put The Seekers on my Christmas wish list either, but this is another book that I’d like to read someday. I really liked the other books by Daniel J. Boorstin that I’ve read. I’m sure that I am going to love the books under my tree (and there will be books), and I have so many amazing books on my Kindle that I’ve gotten this year that this one will probably have to wait.

So what books did you put on your wishlist for this year? I really hope that you have an amazing Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate). This isn’t my last blog post for the year, but if I don’t see you before then, I hope your New Year has an amazing start.

Next week on the first edition of the 2019 Top Ten Tuesday: The Best Books I Read in 2018. This will include books from 2018, books from earlier that I didn’t get around to reading until this year, and there’s one 2019 release that I was fortunate enough to read as an ARC. Next week I also hope to do a list of my favorite 2018 releases as well, in a separate post. See you then!